Improved lightweight handle

Abstract: A light weight handle assembly (10) for a heavy duty container which may contain sensitive electronic components generally comprises a stationery bracket (12) which mounts to a container wall (14) and a movable handle (16) pivotally connected to the bracket (12). The handle (16) is pivotal to a disengaged position (Figure 7) allowing the handle (16) to be assembled to and disassembled from the bracket (12) when the bracket (12) is not attached to the wall (14) and is prevented from pivoting to the disengaged position when the bracket (12) is attached to the wall (14). The bracket (12) and handle (14) are formed with respective stop members (18,20;22,24) that engage in an operative position (Figure 6) of the handle and have substantially planar contact surfaces (70;72) which increase the effective contact area and reduce the compressive stress in the stop members (18,20;22,24).

Description: The present invention relates generally to handles and more particularly to lightweight handles for lifting and transporting heavy-duty containers. The use of handles for lifting and transporting various objects is well known. For certain applications, it is desirable to use a handle that is light in weight, yet provides a stable and durable mechanism for lifting heavy objects. This is particularly true in the case of roto-moulded plastic containers which are designed for the transport and handling of instruments and electronic equipment in hazardous environments such as those typically found in military, geophysical and news service applications. In the above application, the weight and size of loaded containers necessitate that two or more handles be distributed about the outside of the containers. Said handles are normally required to lie flat against the sides of the containers when not in use. When the container is being carried by the handles, however, the handles are required to stop with their bales perpendicular to the container wall so that the fingers of people lifting the container are not compressed between the handles bales and the walls of the container. Such a handle needs to be capable of lifting heavy-duty containers in the normal upward direction while experiencing heavy side loads and outwards pulls. It is also desirable that the handle be capable of quick assembly during commercial production and/or disassembly to replace parts at the customer's site. A handle developed by the applicants of the present invention is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,012,553. Handles of this type, although providing the required strength with less weight than prior conventional handles, are not without their drawbacks. First, the metal bale requires precise bending in two directions and must be heat-treated. For strength and economy, high carbon steel is used which must be plated. Finally, as many as twelve parts must be assembled to make the final handle. Although the performance of such handles is good and achieved at low weight, the cost of manufacture is relatively high. A handle assembly is disclosed in FR-A-2249632 comprising a bracket and a handle coupled to the bracket for pivotal movement from a first position to a second position in which the handle is located at about 90 degrees with respect to a mounting surface for the bracket by engagement with a pair of stop faces disposed on the bracket at 90 degrees to the mounting surface. Another handle assembly is disclosed in JP-A-3022592 comprising a bracket and a handle coupled to the bracket for pivotal movement in which the handle is biased to a first position substantially parallel to a mounting surface for the bracket by a spring engaged between the handle and the bracket. Yet another handle assembly is disclosed in US-A-4775072 comprising a pair of brackets secured in a recess in a container wall and a handle coupled to the brackets for pivotal movement from a first position to a second position in which the handle is located at about 45 degrees with respect to the container wall by engagement of the handle with the top wall of the recess over a relatively small area whereby substantial pressure is exerted on the top wall. A further handle assembly is disclosed in EP-A-0495246 comprising a bracket portion for fixing to a bag and a handle portion connected to the bracket portion by a snap-action coupling for hinging movement from a first position on the side of the bag to an upright second position. One object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly which substantially eliminates any relative movement between the handle and the container during transportation. A second object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly that is easy to assemble and disassemble thereby increasing production efficiency. A third object of the present invention is to provide a strong, light handle that will not corrode nor be weakened by chemical attack. Another object of the present invention is to provide a handle which is more durable and reliable thereby increasing the effective life span of the handle. The above objects are realised according to the present invention by the provision of a handle assembly for lifting and transporting a container having a container wall wherein the handle assembly comprises a stationary bracket member mountable to the container wall and a movable handle member connectable to an inner portion of the bracket member, the handle member having a hand grip portion and first and second arms extending from the hand grip portion, each of the first and second arms including a pivot portion extending substantially parallel to the hand grip portion and a stop member having a substantially planar contact surface, each of the pivot portions being rotatable within an inner portion of the bracket member so that, when the bracket member is attached to the container wall, the handle member may be pivoted between a first position (Figure 5) and a second position (Figure 6) in which the planar contact surfaces of the stop members come into contact with substantially planar contact surfaces of stop members on the bracket member characterised in that the planar contact surfaces of the stop members are disposed at an angle of about 45 degrees, with respect to the container wall when in contact with one another whereby the handle member is positioned at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the container wall in the second position (Figure 6). By this invention, the contact surface area of the planar contact surfaces reduces the shear forces and relative movement between the handle member and the container when the handle member is pivoted to its second position so that handle assembly is stable in the second position when the container is being transported. Furthermore, the inclination of the contact surface plane of the planar contact surfaces reduces the compressive stress in the stop member area of the handle member when the handle member is pivoted to its second position so that the handle member can be produced from polyethylene and the like. As a result, the invention provides a light weight handle assembly adapted so that a user can stably lift and transport a heavy-duty container. Preferably, the inner portion of the bracket member includes first and second retainer members for retaining the pivot portions of the first and second arms. Advantageously, each of the pivot portions further includes a cylindrical portion adapted to rotate within the inner portion of the bracket member. Preferably, each of the pivot portions further includes a flange portion extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion so as to limit axial movement of the pivot portion within the inner portion of the bracket member. Advantageously, one of the pivot portions further includes a spring support member axially disposed with the cylindrical portion and a torsion spring disposed thereon, the spring support member having a spring attachment portion for securing one end of the torsion spring, the other end of the torsion spring being attached to the bracket member. Preferably, the inner portion of the bracket member includes a first cavity for rotatably receiving the pivot portion of the first arm, a second cavity for rotatably receiving the pivot portion of the second arm, a first retainer member for the pivot portion of the first arm disposed about the first cavity, and a second retainer member for the pivot portion of the second arm disposed about the second cavity. Advantageously, the inner portion of the bracket member further includes a third cavity for rotatably receiving a flange portion of the pivot portion of the first arm, and a fourth cavity for rotatably receiving a flange portion of the pivot portion of the second arm. In a preferred arrangement, when the bracket member is removed or unattached from the container wall, the movable handle member may be pivoted to a third position where it may be easily assembled to or unassembled from the bracket member. This latter feature provides a handle assembly that is compatible with high production environments and which can be manufactured from a small amount of components. Other features, benefits and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompany drawings in which:- FIGURE 1 is a front view showing a light weight handle assembly of the present invention mounted to a container; FIGURE 2 is a top view of the handle assembly; FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the handle assembly; FIGURE 4 is a rear view of the handle assembly; FIGURE 5 is a side view showing the handle assembly in an inoperative position; FIGURE 6 is a side view showing the handle assembly in an operative position; FIGURE 7 is a side view showing the weight handle assembly in a disengaged position; FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the movable handle of the handle assembly; FIGURE 9 is a cross-section view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 4; FIGURE 10 is a cross-section view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 4; FIGURE 11 is a cross-section view taken along line 11-11 of Figure 4 showing a view of the spring attachment portion; and FIGURE 12 is a rear perspective view of the stationary bracket of the handle assembly. Referring to Figure 1, the light weight handle assembly 10 according to the present invention is shown. The handle assembly 10 generally comprises a stationary bracket 12 mounted to a container wall 14 which may be a wall of a roto-moulded container or any other container used to carry objects such as sensitive electronic equipment. The handle assembly 10 further comprises a movable handle 16 which is pivotally connected to the stationary bracket 12. When the stationary bracket 12 is connected to the container wall 14, the movable handle 16 may be pivoted between an inoperative position (Figure 5) and an operative position (Figure 6). When the stationary bracket 12 is not attached to or is removed from the container wall 14, the movable handle 16 may be pivoted to a disengaged position (Figure 7) wherein the movable handle 16 may be easily assembled to or disassembled from the stationary bracket 12. This feature of the present invention allows the handle assembly 10 to be quickly assembled, thereby increasing production efficiency. To stabilise the handle assembly 10 while the container is being carried by the handle, the stationary bracket 12 is provided with stationary stop members 18 and 20 while the movable handle 16 is provided with movable stop members 22 and 24. The movable stop members 22 and 24 and the stationary stop members 18 and 20 are adapted to engage with each other to thereby limit the pivotal movement of the movable handle 16 between its inoperative position (Figure 5) and its operative position (Figure 6). As will be described more fully herein, both the stationary stop members 18 and 20 and the movable stop members 22 and 24 are provided with substantially planar contact surfaces which increases the effective contact area and reduces the compressive stress in the stop members. Referring to Figures 1 and 8, the movable handle 16 comprises a hand gripping portion 26 adapted to be comfortably grasped by a user's hand. The movable handle 16 further comprises a pair of pivoting arms 28 and 30 that extend from the hand gripping portion 26 and which are generally parallel to each other. As best shown by Figures 4 and 8, the movable handle 16 further comprises rotating pivot portions 32 and 34 which extend from the distal end of the pivoting arms 28 and 30, respectively and which are generally disposed parallel to the hand gripping portion 26. With reference to Figure 8, the rotating pivot portions 32 and 34 comprise cylindrical portions 36 and 38, respectively, which are adapted to freely rotate within a corresponding cylindrical shaped cavity portions 40 and 42 extending inward from a rear surface 44 of the stationary bracket 12. Cylindrical portions 36 and 38 are captured within the cavity portions 40 and 42 by means of a retainer 48 formed at the upper portion of the cavity portions 40 and 42. When the movable handle 16 is in its operative position (Figure 6), the cylindrical portions 36 and 38 are in bearing contact with their corresponding cavity portions 40 and 42. With continued reference to Figure 8, each of the rotating pivot portions 32 and 34 further comprise a key-way or recess 46 which is adapted such that when the movable handle 16 is pivoted to its disengaged position (Figure 7), the key-ways 46 are in substantial alignment with the retainers 48. In this disengaged position, the cylindrical portions 36 and 38 of rotating pivot portions 32 and 34 may be easily assembled to or disassembled from cavity portions 40 and 42 of the stationary bracket 12. Still referring to Figure 8, each of the rotating pivot portions 32 and 34 further comprise a semi-circular shaped flange portion 50 protruding from respective ends of the cylindrical portions 36 and 38 which are adapted to freely rotate within corresponding cylindrical shaped cavity portions 52 which extend inward from the rear surface 44 of the stationary bracket 12. When the flange portions 50 are disposed within the cavity portions 40 and 42, the axial movement of the cylindrical portions 36 and 38 and therefore the movable member is limited. The rotating pivot portion 34 further comprises a spring support portion 56 disposed adjacent to and extending from the cylindrical portion 38. The spring support portion 56 is of generally cylindrical shape and is adapted to receive a torsion spring 58 (Figure 4). The spring support portion 56 is rotatable within a spring attachment cavity portion 60 extending inward from the rear surface 44 of the stationary bracket 12. The spring support portion 56 comprises a groove 62 that is adapted to secure one end of the torsion spring 58. The other end of the torsion spring 58 is secured within a channel 64 formed adjacent to the cavity portion 60. The stationary stop members 18 and 20 are formed on an outside portion 66 of the stationary bracket 12 while the movable stop members 22 and 24 are formed on an outside portion 68 of the pivoting arms 28 and 30. As best shown by Figures 5 and 7, the stationary stop members 18 and 20 are each formed with a substantially planar contact surface 70 which is off-set an angle a to the container wall 14 and/or the rear surface 44 of the stationary bracket 12. The angle a is about 45 degrees. Similarly, and as best shown by Figure 7, the movable stop members 22 and 24 are each formed with a substantially planar contact surface 72 which is off-set an angle b from a top surface 74 of the pivoting arms 28 and 30. The angle b is about 45 degrees. In operation, when the movable handle 16 is pivoted from its inoperative position (Figure 5) to its operative/lifting position (Figure 6), the movable stop members 22 and 24 are brought into substantial contact with the stationary stop members 18 and 20. As such, the pivotal movement of the movable handle 16 between its inoperative position (Figure 5) and its operative position (Figure 6) is about 90 degrees. Furthermore the planar contour of the contact surfaces reduces the relative movement between the movable handle 16 and the container. The surface area of the contact surfaces 70 and 72 is defined by a length l and a width w . This contact surface area provides for increased stability of the handle assembly 10 when the movable handle 16 is pivoted to its operative/lifting position (Figure 6) by reducing the shear forces and relative movement between the movable handle 16 and the container. As best shown by Figure 12, the stationary bracket 12 also comprises a plurality of mounting lugs or bosses 82 disposed on the rear surface 44. In the preferred embodiment, the mounting lugs or bosses 82 extend from the rear surface 44 and provide shear strength between the bracket 12 and the container wall 14. In this regard, the hand gripping portion 26 of the movable handle 16 may be upwardly displaced an angle c from a bottom surface 86 of the pivoting arms 28 and 30 to thereby facilitate initial grasping of the hand gripping portion 26. In the preferred embodiment, the angle c is about 10 degrees. The mounting lugs 82 may further comprise openings 84 adapted to receive a suitable fastener such as a self-tapping screw and the like. Such fasteners are loaded in tension only, and sealing against air passage is accomplished by the employment of rubber- faced washers under the heads of the fasteners. The stress-lowering improvements of the handle of the present invention may best be demonstrated with reference to Figure 6. As shown, the handle 16 is placed in its operative/lifting position by an upward force F L applied to the hand gripping portion 26. As said handle 16 has two pivoting arms 28, the upward force on each arm 28 is F L /2. Upward rotation beyond 90° is prevented by a compressive stop force F S in the contact area between the movable and stationary stop members 22 and 24 and 18 and 20 respectively, and a shear force in the pivot F P . For a specific magnitude of F L , the stop force F S is inversely proportional to the mount arm J. Thus, to minimise F S , the moment arm J must be as large as possible. This is controlled by the thickness t of the bracket 12 and the diameter of the pivot portions 32 and 34. When the thickness of the bracket 12 and the handle 16 are approximately the same, the moment arm J will be maximised when the angle of the plane between the axis of the pivot portions 32 and 34 and the stop areas 18, 20, 22 and 24 is 45° relative to the horizontal. As said angle is 45°, said moment arm J is approximately 1.5 times greater than when contact between the movable stop members and stationary stop members is horizontal. Thus, for the same lifting force F L , the compressive stress in the stop member area of the handle 16 is approximately 33% less. This stress-lowering improvement in the handle 16 makes it possible to produce said handle from polyethylene and the like. As will be clear to those skilled in the art, a change in the ratio of bracket thickness to handle thickness will dictate a change in the angle for maximising the moment arm J. The stationary bracket 12 and the movable handle 16 may be made from a variety of materials, including but not limited to, polyethylene or any high strength thermoplastic material. To realise additional weight reductions and to reduce material costs and moulding time, material from the stationary bracket 12 and the movable handle 16 may removed in various places without significantly reducing the load/strength requirements of the components. By way of example only, the pivoting arms 28 and 30 may be formed with cut-outs 76 (Figure 5) which eliminate a large amount of material and ribs 78 may be formed to maintain the strength requirements. Similarly, the hand gripping portion 26 may be formed with a hollow inner portion 80 thereby also reducing a significant amount of material. Except for the torsion spring 58 and mounting bolts (not shown), all of features of the handle assembly 10 heretofore described are formed integral to either the stationary bracket 12 or the movable handle 16. This feature provides a handle assembly 10 that is compatible with high production environments and which is reliable and durable. The stationary bracket 12 and the movable handle 16 may be manufactured by conventional moulding processes suitable for use with thermoplastic materials. The foregoing description is intended primarily for purposes of illustration. This invention may be embodied in other forms or carried out in other ways without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Modifications and variations still falling within the scope of the claims will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art.

Claims: A handle assembly for lifting and transporting a container having a container wall, the handle assembly comprising a stationary bracket member (12) mountable to the container wall (14) and a movable handle member (16) connectable to an inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12), the handle member (16) having a hand grip portion (26) and first and second arms (28;30) extending from the hand grip portion (26), each of the first and second arms (28;30) including a pivot portion (32;34) extending substantially parallel to the hand grip portion (26) and a stop member (22;24) having a substantially planar contact surface (72), each of the pivot portions (32;34) being rotatable within said inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12) so that, when the bracket member (12) is attached to the container wall (14), the handle member (16) may be pivoted between a first position (Figure 5) and a second position (Figure 6) in which the planar contact surfaces (72) of the stop members (22;24) come into contact with substantially planar contact surfaces (70) of stop members (18;20) on the bracket member (12) characterised in that , when the bracket member (12) is attached to the container wall (14), the planar contact surfaces (70;72) of the stop members (18;20;22;24) are disposed at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the container wall (14) when in contact with one another whereby the handle member (16) is positioned at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the container wall (14) in the second position (Figure 6). A handle assembly according to Claim 1 characterised in that the inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12) includes first and second retainer members (48) for retaining the pivot portions (32;34) of the first and second arms (28;30). A handle assembly according to Claim 1 characterised in that each of the pivot portions (32;34) further includes a cylindrical portion (36;38) adapted to rotate within the inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12). A handle assembly according to Claim 3 characterised in that each of the pivot portions (32;34) further includes a flange portion (50) extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion (36;38) so as to limit axial movement of the pivot portion (32;34) within the inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12). A handle assembly according to Claim 4 characterised in that one of the pivot portions (34) further includes a spring support member (56) axially disposed with the cylindrical portion (38) and a torsion spring (58) disposed thereon, the spring support member (56) having a spring attachment portion (62) for securing one end of the torsion spring (58), the other end of the torsion spring (58) being attached to the bracket member (12). A handle assembly according to Claim 1 characterised in that the inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12) includes a first cavity (40) for rotatably receiving the pivot portion (32) of the first arm (28), a second cavity (42) for rotatably receiving the pivot portion (34) of the second arm (30), a first retainer member (48) for the pivot portion (32) of the first arm (28) disposed about the first cavity (40), and a second retainer member (48) for the pivot portion (34) of the second arm (30) disposed about the second cavity (42). A handle assembly according to Claim 6 characterised in that the inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12) further includes a third cavity (52) for rotatably receiving a flange portion (50) of the pivot portion (32) of the first arm (28), and a fourth cavity (52) for rotatably receiving a flange portion (50) of the pivot portion (34) of the second arm (30). A container having a container wall (14) provided with a handle assembly for lifting and transporting the container, the handle assembly comprising a stationary bracket member (12) attached to the container wall (14) and a movable handle member (16) connectable to an inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12), the handle member (16) having a hand grip portion (26) and first and second arms (28;30) extending from the hand grip portion (26), each of the first and second arms (28;30) including a pivot portion (32;34) extending substantially parallel to the hand grip portion (26) and a stop member (22;24) having a substantially planar contact surface (72), each of the pivot portions (32;34) being rotatable within an inner portion (40;42) of the bracket member (12) so that the handle member (16) may be pivoted between a first position (Figure 5) and a second position (Figure 6) in which the planar contact surfaces (72) of the stop members (22;24) come into contact with substantially planar contact surfaces (70) of stop members (18;20) on the bracket member (12) so that the handle member (16) is positioned at approximately 90 degrees with respect to the container wall (14) characterised in that the contact plane of the planar contact surfaces (70;72) of the stop members (18;20;22;24) is inclined at an acute angle of about 45 degrees, with respect to the container wall (14) when the handle member (16) is in the second position (Figure 6).

Inventors: APONTE RENE R, HARDIGG JAMES S, APONTE, RENE R., HARDIGG, JAMES S.
Applicants: HARDIGG IND INC, HARDIGG INDUSTRIES, INC.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65D25
IPC codes: B65D25, A45C13